The NFL would like the Raiders to find a home for the 2019 season soon.
And if scheduling wasn’t enough of a reason why, stopping the flow of crazy talk might be valid too.
According to a report in the Arizona Daily Star, the cities of Tucson and Birmingham, Ala. want to split hosting duties for the Raiders in 2019.
What could possibly go wrong?
The “plan” would involve chopping up the seven regular season home games the Raiders have left (they’re already playing one in London) between the University of Arizona’s Arizona Stadium and Birmingham’s Legion Field (which is currently in use for an AAF team).
Tucson attorney Ali Farhang reportedly reached out to Raiders owner Mark Davis about the idea, and now Birmingham city council president pro tem William Parker has joined him in an effort for more talks. Or, talks, as the case may be.
The Raiders don’t have a lease to play in Oakland this year. Their stadium in Las Vegas is a year away from being ready. They’ve kicked around ideas including playing in baseball stadiums, but nothing has been firmed up.
It’s bad enough for the league to be waiting this long to know where one of its teams is playing, but splitting games between decidedly non-NFL markets is ridiculous. Then again, perhaps the league could turn it into a season-long cross between Hard Knocks and National Lampoon’s Vacation, with cameras on Jon Gruden 24-7 as he spans the globe and eventually punches the moose.